Continued....

The commonsense solution for world peace, or at least limiting conflict to a non-nuclear level that won't be the springboard for Armageddon, is to put everybody on the motorcycle of their choice so they can just STFU, chill, and enjoy life. What I'm leading up to, and yes, I do indeed realize that this is a convoluted approach, is how much the rest of the world seems to love our classic hot rod/chopper culture, regardless of how they might feel about the bizarre antics of our politicians, pop-culture skanks, and so forth. Take Alan Bernard, who moved here from France in 1994. Un swayed by the not- so-nice comments some of his countrymen have made about the good old U.S. of A., Alan managed to focus on the same things that make life worth putting up with for so many of us- motorcycles. Blasting about the French countryside on 500 cc NOlions and Velocettes in the seventies, he kept an eye on the U.S. custom scene via American magazines that found their way to the land of fine wine and some of the sexiest women on the planet. Drawn by the early efforts of Arlen Ness, Alan made his way to American soil in 1994 for a firsthand look. He purchased a motorcycle to better see the sights, starting with Daytona Beach, but damn if fate didn't intervene with a devastating blow to the bollocks via a drunk driver. Alan landed in Halifax Medical Center and stayed there for three miserable weeks before being Medflighted home.

Seven surgeries later, he packed his bags and headed back to the U.S. for goodmust have liked what he saw. Alan's shaky beginnings here remind me of Cool Hand Luke's one-sided movie boxing match with Dragline- you'll have to hit him a lot harder than that to knock him down and keep him there. Alan and wife Christine settled in Tampa, across the state from Daytona and Halifax Medical Center, but still in the sometimes sunny Sunshine State. They established Santiago Chopper Specialties (www.santiagochopper. com) and were later joined by Mike Lima, now Alan's right-hand man. The Santiago crew has come to specialize in wild trikes, but Alan's years on Brit singles and his ongoing admiration for the historic Ace Cafe rocker scene left a definite mark. This past September, mere weeks ahead of times, Alan and Mike decided to build a cafe entry for the Biketoberfest edition of Willie's Old School Chopper Show at Tropical Tattoo. Starting with a sketch Alan came up with, they built a frame inspired by the classic Norton Featherbed, as described on page 65 in Issue 83. Allen originally designed his frame to accommodate an Evo, but then decided a 93" Accurate Engineering/STD Panhead he had been keeping "on ice," as he put it, would be ice-cold cooler. The Pan wouldn't fit because of the generator hump, but otherwise the midstream change in plans was no problem Alan and Mlike just cut out the aera of the right-side downtube that was in the way. whittied up a curved chunk of flat plate to fill the gap, drilled and counterbored it for detail, and TIG'd that sucker into place. Problem? What problem? Alan and MIike get credit for the frame, but thank Rob at Aztec Welding, in nearby Largo, for lending a hand.

Most of the Europeans I've met enjoy a more global outlook than I do, and that shows in Alan's Manx/ Velo-inspired cafe racer. The shocks and seat came from a 350 Benelli-a once popular, but now defunct, Italian stallion for them that don't know. Chromed Dzus fasteners-spring-loaded cam locks that can be removed with any coin in a flick of the wrist-hold the seat down. The gas tank is a little something from a '69 Triumph roadracer that Alan picked up during a trip to the U.K. The chunky petcock beneath it is from G-Force. Moving back, the oil tank has a familiar look that I couldn't quite place. Silly me-it's a converted nitrous bottle. The front end looks somewhat exotic close-up, but in truth it's as down home as eggs and grits (that's boiled corn meal, for the Yankees out there) 39mm Sportster tube assemblies held in place by TechnoPlus clamps that Alan designed. The clip-ons are 39mm aftermarket items, origin unknown. The pipes started out as Paughco production items, but Santiago modified them for more of a cafe look. I'd have sworn they came from Dunstall, but if I remember correctly, Mister Dunstall made parts for Nortons and other Limeys, not Panheads.

All that said, the brakes were the first detail to catch my eye .after I recovered from the shock of spotting a Panhead cafe racer standing proud in the battalion of choppers at Willie's. The calipers, rotors, and wheels are Supermotard parts from a 450 Honda. As it turns out, the Honda parts bolted right onto the custom Santiago swingarm and TechnoPlus/XL fork-after Alan and Mike fabbed up brackets to put them there. The slick hand and foot controls are Japanese items too, from a Suzuki GSXR.

We already mentioned that the engine is a 93 c.i. Accurate/STD Panhead. You see that number a lot in the older engines, and for good reason. You've heard it before, but the 3-5/8" bore and 4-1/2" stroke make for a perfect blend of performance, reliability, and long life. You might consider it the "Crown Royal" of Panhead stroker kits. The 93 's cam is present and accounted for but, like the clip-ons, hails from parts unknown. A 3" BDL belt drive and clutch, with a Santiago-modified backplate. connects the polished Pan topped with CCE finned rocker covers to an Ultima fivespeed transmission. It took a while for me to place it, like the N20 oil tank. but I finally remembered that the classy black paint and gold graphics were typical fare on Velocette's beautiful Thruxton sport bike/production racers back when. Santiago handled the Cafe Pan's black paint and gold striping inhouse, but the graphics are vinyl stickons, produced to Alan's specs by Apple Sign and Awning in Lutz, Florida, just north of Tampa. Graphics in place, paint and aluminum polished and shiny, the Santiago crew finished the Cafe Panhead the night before the show. Alan's customs have earned their fair share of trophies, but he says no honor compares to that of taking "Best of Show" gold at Willie's. Now, he's thinking of going into production with a rolling chassis kit. Call Santiago at 813-671-9097 and let Christine know if you're interested. (Talking with a French chick is always fun anyhow, even if the only French you know is merde.) She will pass your input along to Alan, who is her husband, by the way, and he will take it from there.